


The Warrior and the Doctor

by JTR01



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Multiple Doctors (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-15 01:30:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19285342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JTR01/pseuds/JTR01
Summary: The man who used to be the Doctor had been hoping for some peace. Peace did not mean his TARDIS crashing into another which contained the first man to call himself the Doctor.





	The Warrior and the Doctor

I had just wanted some time alone. After what had happened with Rejoice, I had just wanted to find some kind of peace before I found myself back in the chaos of the war. But the second I took off in the TARDIS, my day got even worse. As usual.

"Who are you, and what are you doing on my ship!" the Doctor asked in outrage, while Arkytior, Barbara and Ian looked at me in fear and puzzlement, though the last two stood in front of Arkytior, obviously wanting to protect her. They always did that, I remembered with fondness. If it wasn't for them, the Doctor would have been responsible for Arkytior's death with his selfishness and stupidity.

I almost laughed at the Doctor. At how loud he was when he spoke, trying to keep the attention on himself and making himself look more important than he actually was. At how he gripped the lapels of his clothing, as if doing so made it look like he had any idea of what he was doing. While the other faces of the Doctor tended to show this buffoon more respect than he deserved, I would not do the same.

"I think you will find that this is my TARDIS." I told him firmly, gesturing at our surroundings. With confusion on his face that quickly grew as he looked around, with his companions doing the same.

"What...happened to the the TARDIS?" Arkytior asked hesitantly. "Grandfather, what is happening?"

"Your TARDIS and my TARDIS has temporarily merged Arkytior. Probably because the shields were down. Which I'm pretty sure has happened before now that I think about it." I responded with a calm tone, as shadows of a memory about a man in a blue suit entered then vanished from my mind. I quickly gave up on trying to grab hold of the memory, figuring it will come back to me sooner or later.

"Arkytior? What's that?" Barbara asked, and the three companions hesitantly moved to stand next to the Doctor and confront me better.

"That's my name." Arkytior explained, worry and fear in her eyes as she looked at me, the sight breaking my hearts. "How do you know my name?"

"But I thought your name was Susan?" Ian asked.

"Oh come now Chesterfield! Did you really think we would have such strange human names like yours?" the Doctor practically yelled at the human.

"Don't speak to him like that. You've already kidnapped him, so the least you can do is be more considerate." I told the Doctor firmly, and the adolescent masquerading as an adult looked at me with the eyes of a child. A child who had gotten so used to getting his way someone telling him no was foreign to him. I honestly haven't been more grateful to anyone than I am to Ian and Barbara for somehow turning this man into someone who was half way towards being a good person. Until I came along at least.

"How did you know that?" Ian asked me, and I almost laughed at his glare. As if that could intimidate me!

"Just who are you?" Barbara asked.

"Well Barbara, I'm actually him." I said as I pointed at the Doctor, while inwardly getting myself focused. I had to make sure that the Doctor doesn't come to learn anything about the future and make sure he leaves as quickly as possible.

"What?" the Doctor asked weakly, the words I had just spoken clearly shocking him more than the Daleks or...Actually, when was this taking place for them? Had they been to Skaro yet? Were they close to when the Doctor let Arkytior leave to find her down way in life?

"What do you mean you're him?" Barbara asked me in confusion, while Ian looked like he wants dot scratch his head in confusion but didn't because he knew how stupid that would look.

"Regeneration." I told them all simply.

"What that?" asked the science teacher.

"It's this ability my people have." Arkytior explained while the Doctor observed me, his mouth repeatedly opening and closing as he struggled to figure out what to say. Can't say I blame him for his reaction, I wasn't exactly how he imagined the Doctor would look even a little. "It's where we can heal our bodies when we are near death. Every cell changes to heal any damage or sickness, and we become physically younger. But a consequence of doing that means that we change completely. Face, voice, personality, gender, skin colour. You basically become a whole new person. Well, on the surface at least. I saw my uncle regenerate three times, and he never stopped trying to teach me how to cook. Said it was something everyone should know how to do regardless of social class or the technology available."

"So have you or the Doctor ever...regenerated?" Ian asked carefully.

"No, we're both still in our first incarnations." Arkytior replied, and suddenly looked at her teachers with worry. "Are you ok with all this? I know it's a lot to take in-"

"No it's fine." Barbara interrupted Arkytior, a warm and supportive smile on her face. "Really, it is."

"I meant this isn't exactly the weirdest thing I've heard since we started traveling in this machine. Besides, this means that if our Doctor can't remember my name properly, maybe a different one will. I finally have some hope for the future." Ian joked, earning a smile from Arkytior.

"While I'm sure this is an important conversation Chatterton, but we must focus on this intruder." the Doctor butted in, which reminded the three that I was still here.

"But grandfather, what if he really is you?" Arkytior asked.

"Don't be ridiculous child. Who would believe that I would have a beard like that?" the Doctor asked her, and I frowned briefly before remembering that it had been a long time since I've seen a mirror. I might have a beard or even a moustache, and I wouldn't have any idea.

"While I would love to continue this, we're running out of time. Now pay attention, otherwise we'll be in trouble." I said, as my mind began to clear and memories I had forgotten returned to me. I went to the console, barely acknowledging the eyes on me and began to press and flip buttons.

"I think I have to agree with the old man Susan. This one seems to actually know he to fly the TARDIS." Ian told Arkytior, and I didn't need to look to know the Doctor was glaring at his companions.

"Well I've been piloting the TARDIS for nearly over five hundred years Chesterton." I spoke up, while gesturing to the Doctor to pay attention to what my hands were doing. "I was bound to get good at it eventually."

"Wait, you can't do that!" the Doctor began to shout and approach the console. "It could blow up the TARDIS."

I sighed and grabbed hold of the scanner and moved it across the console, gesturing at the mathematical symbols on it. "As you can see, the cores of our TARDISes have merged and unless we separate them it will cause an explosion the size of...Belgium. Is it me, or does this sound familiar to anyone else?"

"Then we must try to get out." Arkytior told me with panic. "We can't figure out how to fix it with just us!"

"No we can't. That's why you have to pay attention." I said as I focused my gaze back on the Doctor, while just continued to fiddle with the controls. "Now, all I need to do now is reboot the subsystems and the secondary engines, and..."

Their was a bang and a flash of light that covered the entire console room. I blinked my eyes and as quickly as it came the light vanished. I saw the Doctor observing the screen while Arkytior helped calm Ian and Barbara down, as due to their weaker eyes the temporary blindness was taking longer to fade. However I doubt there would be any lasting damage.

"You did it. The TARDISes are separating." the Doctor whispered, before looking at me in shock. "How did you do it? You didn't have the time to figure it out."

"He told you how grandfather. He knew how to save us because you saw him doing it." Arkytior said as Ian and Barbara regained their sight, walking up to me. Before I could react, she had wrapped her arms around me and was giving me a tight hug. "Thanks for saving us Grandfather. And I have to say, a beard suits you."

On instinct I returned the hug, momentarily forgetting that I wasn't the Doctor anymore, the dark future that awaited by sweet granddaughter that included the death of her son and having to see the grandfather she adored so much turn into a monster no better than the ones he was fighting.

"It's good to see you again Arkytior." I replied without thinking, causing her to take a step back.

"What do you mean see me again? Why aren't I with you?" say asked me.

"Oh you know, you grew up. Had to make a life of your own away from your annoying grandfather." I told her, regressing into my previous personas as I began to joke. "Otherwise I would have ended up embarrassing you in front of your friends with stories of when you were young. I still visit, but it's just been awhile now."

"Oh." Arkytior replied simply, and it pained me to see how easily she believed me.

"So you're really the Doctor?" Ian asked me as he and Barbara approached.

"Yes I am Chesterton." I told him, and was confused by his sudden frown.

"I know I said I hoped one day the Doctor would get my name right, but it actually happening makes me doubt you are the Doctor." Ian said seriously. After a second of digesting what he said, the four of us laughed while the Doctor observed us.

"Wait." Barbara suddenly shouted, drawing my attention to how the visitors were becoming transparent. "What's happening to you?"

"We must be separating. I assume you are seeing me as a ghost, just like how I'm seeing you." I informed Barbara. "A shame, I had hoped for a chance to talk to you all again."

I was slightly surprised that I meant those words. Despite the risks involved, seeing them again brought back memories of a simpler time. A time where I had no worries and I was just a mad old man who stole a broken TARDIS. Not a man with so much blood on his hands he could drown in it. I watched them fade from my view, before noticing that one was still here.

The Doctor.

"I suppose due to how we are the only ones to be in both TARDISes, it's taking longer to separate us." I told the Doctor, hoping he would vanish soon and I could forget about this.

"What happened?" he asked, and my blood ran cold.

"What do you mean?"

"Your face might be different from mine. But I can tell when I'm lying." the Doctor responded seriously. "I know something has happened, something big, and I want to know what."

"No. You don't." I told him firmly, and I saw that he was slowly becoming transparent.

"But-" the Doctor began, but I quickly cut him off.

"Just treasure this time in your life Doctor." I said to him, giving the man a weak smile that I knew was a mixture of pity and envy. "Treasure this time with them. For me."

Before he could say anything he was gone, and I knew it was likely the four of them had forgotten me, or slowly will a least. That's how these things usually work. With a heavy sigh, I turned to the console and began to chart a course to a nearby planet.


End file.
